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First, there are a number of factors that will effect an HDTV's range and performance... obstructions (trees, buildings, terrain, power lines), tropospheric ducting (signals that travel longer distances due to changing humidity pockets and clouds), the sun's radiation (and your orientation to its path) and solar flare activity, adjacent radio RF (4g, 5g cell phone towers), and antenna height, and are you seeking UHF or VHF, or both frequency spectrums... which are the common challenges. My location has to deal with most of these hurdles, so it was a lengthy process in order to find the best performing antenna for us.
Second, I have a really good understanding of the science. My father and youngest brother are RF engineers, and i grew up around a heavily influenced environment. I was an amateur radio operator, so that theory was also a part of the licensing process... not to mention my own career and those necessary skill sets and knowledge. These experiences were helpful during the testing and evaluation process that is to follow, of which I will condense as much as possible. (KISS)
So... let's talk about the constants, first...
(1) My region uses the UHF spectrum for the primary channels. The VHF spectrum will behave differently and it generally requires a different type of antenna typology and construction. This antenna, the 70 mile Clearstream 4, is primarily designed for the UHF spectrum, but it will pick up VHF at closer distances to the TV towers. My testing was in the UHF band.
(2) My antenna height is 31 feet. I live in a hole, as far as the terrain goes. The antenna maps return this result when they calculate the expected result using my location, "You've got to be kidding. There is no way that you'll pick up anything where you live. Try listening to the radio instead." I have TV station towers to the West of me between 58 and 65 miles... with power lines, trees, and a rough terrain as obstacles. The stations to the East of me are at 48 miles... with trees and a rough terrain, as well. I'm using 40' of new RG-6 as the down-lead to the TV with a mast mounted antenna amplifier, that includes an LTE 4 and 5 filter, which is mounted under the antenna at 3 feet. Both the mast and the RG-6 coax feed are bonded to the ground rod at the electrical service entrance. So this pretty much sums it all up for the constants.
What I purchased, installed, and tested...
(a) RCA ANT752Z @ $79.00 It's suppose to be a 70 mile antenna. Maybe on flat ground, but it could only pull in a few stations, and those would pixelate with changing conditions... weather... the position of the sun.
(b) RCA ANT3037E @ $89.00 It's suppose to be a 65 mile antenna. The thinking was, that the UHF portion of the antenna had a directional yagi, with a reflector that often increases gain, that could increase the UHF gain and performance... nope. It performed worse than the ANT752Z. I gave it to a friend who lives north of town on some high plains farm ground and it did alright for him, at approximately the same distance to the TV station towers to the West. If ya can't use it, give it someone who can... right?
(c) RangeXperts XPS-1500 directional yagi (UHF only) @ $39.00 This is a well built antenna and the price is right. We used it for a while, and it did pull in a few more stations... but we still had pixelation issues and I had to rotate it several degree, depending on the TV station/tower that I was wanting to watch. I purchased the VHF upgrade several months later... and after installing it... the UHF performance degraded, but I was able to bring in one of the lower frequency UHF channels that I could not do so earlier. I would recommend this antenna for certain applications due to it's price and build quality... flat terrain... distance to the desired TV station towers, and so forth. I removed the VHF "upgrade" kit and pointed this to the two stations to the East of me @ 48 miles and it works great with a good mast mounted antenna amplifier.
(d) One of those "200 mile" contraptions that looks like it was made from parts from your BBQ grill, a litter box, a coat hanger, and that last piece of aluminum foil that's on the roll, but it's way to short to use on anything... that includes a built in rotor and amplifier. I think I bought this one at Wally World for $50. I've seen several of them around the area drooping like a lost puppy. That alone was enough to entice me into trying one for myself. After all, I certainly wouldn't want to be left out of all that fun. Anyhow... just... don't... do it. It's everything that they say that it's not... it might work if you can see the tower from your driveway... maybe. I might make a bird feeder out of mine... look for it on Pinterest.
(e) And now for the moment that you've all been waiting for... the Clearstream 4 UHF antenna with an advertised range of 70 miles! (the drum-roll will cost extra, and these are hard times...) Anyhow, the box shows up... I open said box... I admire the build quality and the simplicity, which is a big one for me... and I begin to assemble the antenna. (No... I did not read the instructions, but I will ask for the occasion direction to either here or there.) The only suggestion that I have, in regards to assembling the antenna, is to run down to your local hardware store and get (8) #10 stainless steel flat washers to use where the balun (this is the piece that connects the two hoop antennas together, where the RG-6 coax connects) connects to each hoop antenna. The balun has two flat metal straps that hook over two threaded studs where you use the provided wing nuts to attach it all together. Without using a flat washer on each side of a balun strap, you take the risk of bending up each strap as you tighten the wing nuts. Plus, the addition of the #10 washers makes for a better connection... nice and solid. Other than this detail... it's a well build antenna. So... I install the antenna... use a three foot lead to a good mast mounted antenna amplifier (with the LTE 4/5 filter), and point this contraption to the stations to the West of me, climb down off of the roof, and channel scanning we shall go... BOOM! Everything is coming in... at 4 PM, with the sun in the location that often causes two stations to fade (due to the sun's radiation), and I am very pleased with the result. I start to check the signal strength of each channel... and I've never seen them that high before. I think we've found ourselves a winner. My life is now complete...
So... in conclusion... I did not proofread my review... you can do that if you choose to do so... this pandemic has many of us looking for things to do; knock yourself out. We had the virus in our house. It was 8 weeks of pure hell. Please be careful out there. It is not a joke. As far as the Clearstream 4 goes... I love it! Build quality... it's small footprint... the price... the performance... and no cable bill. We do stream in our house, but a soul needs those local channels, too. Yes, I spent some cash testing all of the common antennas out there... but I'll save money in the end, and I was able to pass along my saga/experience to you. Enjoy!
| Brand Name | Antennas Direct |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 6.8 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 9.13 x 28.19 x 20.06 inches |
| Item model number | C4 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color Name | Black |
| Specification Met | Energy Star Certified |
| Special Features | Need Help? Call our Tech Support Line at 877-825-5572 Monday - Friday 9am - 9 pm CST and Saturday - Sunday, 10am -6pm., Not Included: Cable and Mount |
